She looked down at her palm as he dropped them. “What is this?”
“For motion sickness. I brought them along. You’ll have a nice high-protein meal ready for you when you get on the jet.”
Tears sprang to her eyes as she looked at the pills, touched that he actually was looking out for her. Something about the way he did little things, remembered details, was dangerous to her psyche, and disarming.
She popped the tablets into her mouth, opened the water, and swallowed them down without saying another word as he drove them to the airport.
CHAPTER 15
When Julian had said that he had “a place” in Maui, Kristin had never imagined that he meant an entire resort.
He and his brothers each owned a piece of the luxury hotel that left Kristin at a loss for words. She’d seen several swimming pools, a spa, and expensive shops on the way to their room, which had ended up being bigger than most people’s homes.
She took a deep breath as she stood on the balcony of the gorgeous suite, taking in the beautiful waves as they crashed to the shore. They were so close to the water that she’d be lulled to sleep by the ocean.
Not that she was really tired. She’d slept for the majority of the long flight, waking up only after they were already well on their way across the Pacific Ocean. Julian had kept her fed, then had more pills ready the moment she woke up. She hadn’t experienced a single moment of motion sickness, even though the trip was long.
Julian entered the balcony through the open door of the living room, carrying a tray.
Kristin turned, and couldn’t help but laugh when she saw what he had in his hand.
He was gripping a tray that had several multicolored cocktails topped with tiny umbrellas. On second glance, she noticed they were also garnished with swords of fruit. “You didn’t!” She covered her mouth to try to hide her laughter, but she couldn’t hold it back.
“You asked for cocktails with little umbrellas. Sit,” he ordered as he set the burden on the table between two loungers.
He didn’t say a word as he handed her the tallest glass while she took a place in one of the comfortable chairs.
“What is this one?” She looked curiously at the pretty blue color of the adult beverage.
“You’re the bartender. You tell me.” He lifted one of the drinks for himself.
Cautiously, she took a sip. “Mmm . . . rum? Pineapple? Coconut? I never was good with complicated drinks,” she admitted as she took another sip. It was delicious, but she didn’t have a clue what ingredients it had.
“It’s a Blue Hawaii. I don’t know exactly what’s in it, either. All I asked for was to make sure they all had colorful little umbrellas. But I’m pretty sure it will knock you on your ass if you drink too many.”
Taking a little bit more of the tasty cocktail, Kristin sipped slowly and watched the sunset. “It’s beautiful here. Almost like another world. Do you come here often? Do Micah and Xander?”
“Nope,” Julian answered. “It was strictly an investment. We acquired the place right before Mom and Dad died. I’m the first one to visit. I like it,” he decided.
Again, she chuckled. “You should. You own it. Nice little place you have here,” she teased.
“I never said it was small,” he answered in protest.
“Well, it’s not. Little . . . I mean. It’s big.” She was pretty sure they weren’t discussing the hotel anymore.
He turned his head and shot her a wicked grin. “It is big.”
“I know,” she muttered. “I remember that part.”
“Good.” He leaned his head against the back of his lounger and closed his eyes.
God, he looked good. His messy blond hair was being ruffled by the light breeze, and he looked relaxed. The short-sleeved button-down shirt he’d donned in the morning under his jacket was now open to reveal his ripped chest and abs. His feet were bare below the hem of a well-used pair of jeans that hugged his lower body lovingly.
Kristin relaxed, letting the beautiful sunset and the roar of the waves soothe her soul. She savored her drink slowly, enjoying the peace that had settled over her like a comforting blanket.
Maybe she’d never realized how uptight she was, or how rarely she stopped to actually watch the sun slowly descend until it disappeared. Even simple pleasures took too long for her to stop for a few moments to enjoy.
By the time she’d finished her cocktail, Julian was sleeping. She got up and stretched, then went back into the suite, passing through the living room to get to the bedroom, trying not to worry about the fact that there was only one very big bed.
Does he expect me to sleep with him?